Water polo players of Zagreb and Dubrovnik in Fight for Spring in Europe

After the Champions League, which had its final rounds of the first part scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, Thursday is reserved for the last rounds of the Eurocup in the year 2024. Simultaneously, this marks the last matches of the first part of this competition. However, unlike the Champions League where we were not worried about the fate of the Croatian club in the final or penultimate round, the situation in the Eurocup is quite different. Here, we will be anxious until the last moment wondering whether Mladost and Jug Adriatic Insurance will see Europe in spring 2025.

Jug Players Decide Their Destiny Themselves

The first of these two our clubs to dive into the pool will be from Dubrovnik. Jug Adriatic Insurance in Gruž will host the leading team in Group A, Brescia. The Italians are secure in passing, convincingly in first place (14 points), but hence, three teams are competing for the remaining one or two places in the group. Alongside Jug, Greek team Apollon Smyrnis and French team Strasbourg are in the battle. The standings illustrate the 'crowd' - Jug Adriatic Insurance 6, Strasbourg 6, Apollon Smyrnis 4.
The options for Jug to advance are clear - a victory in the 32nd minute (excluding penalty shootouts) ensures the second place. A defeat in the 32nd minute means a definite farewell to Europe. In the case of a victory or defeat in penalty shootouts, it will then depend on the result of the match between Apollon Smyrnis and Strasbourg, which will be played after the match in Gruž, at 8:00 pm local time in Athens.

The good thing for the players from Dubrovnik is that they hold their destiny in their hands. The bad thing is, there are numerous injuries.

We don't have Joković, we still don't have Prkoča, and neither do we have Kržić who got injured (broken nose) in the final of our cup - Vjekoslav Kobešćak, the coach of Jug Adriatic Insurance, stated in the pre-match.
Brescia is a team that on paper is weaker than last year, but their results don't reflect that. They play very well, and being secure in passing doesn't mean they will take this match lightly. I know those players, their coach, and I know how motivated he was in the previous two visits to beat Jug in Dubrovnik. Ultimately, by defeating us, they would eliminate a strong future opponent in the Eurocup. No, that is a strong team, in Italy, they are tied in points with Pro Recco. In the Eurocup, they are also undefeated.

All this praise for Brescia, however, doesn't mean that Jug players cannot win?

I believe we can. We are in a good streak now, as they say. Winning the Cup left a very good trace. Reactions are still exceptional, surprisingly good, even a week later. We will try to continue riding that wave - concludes the head coach at Jug Adriatic Insurance.

In Zagreb, Attention will be on Szolnok

In Group C where the second representative in Eurocup, Zagreb's Mladost, plays, the situation is different. Primarily because Žapci do not depend on themselves but on the outcome of the other match in the 6th round of this group, Szolnok – Pro Recco.
As we mentioned the standings in Group A, let's also see how the situation is in Group C, which makes it much clearer - Pro Recco 15, Szolnok 8, Mladost 7, Duisburg 0.

Mladost will host the weak German team Duisburg at home, and it is quite clear that Žapci will have three extra points there. So, the key is in the match in Hungary. Any result except one, a victory for Szolnok in the 32nd minute, suits Mladost. Even if the Hungarian club were to win on penalties and earn 2 points, totaling 10, Mladost would be level on points with a win over Duisburg but would have an advantage due to a better head-to-head record.
Pro Recco is weakened by the absence of the national team left-hander Gonzalo Echenique. They are certainly first in the group, but there is still a belief that they will not take the match against Szolnok lightly, and strive to remain unbeaten throughout the season.

We are Pro Recco and we cannot afford mistakes - said the young Lorenzo De Marchi (19) for the Italian club's website.

We hope that this will be the case, that squadra Sandra Sukna will play primarily for themselves and indirectly for Mladost.

By the way, Zagreb residents will know their exact situation almost two hours before their match. The match in Szolnok will start on Thursday at 6:00 pm, while in Zagreb, Mladost's match against Duisburg will begin at 8:45 pm